Thank you to Edward Thomson, Glamis Castle, Angus, Scotland for the
following message about his father and grandfather.

Ed writes:

Haymarket Sheds

1918

"My
Grandfather John Thomson was an Engine Driver based at Haymarket
Motive Power Depot during WW1. He originally came from Perth but had
to move because of Wartime rail operations.

In those days a driver had
his own locomotive and regular Fireman. My Grandfather's loco was
named 'Bailie Nicol Jarvie' after the character in one of Sir Walter
Scott's novels. His Fireman was called Lowery or Lourie.

Spanish Flu

1918

Grandfather brought an
evening Passenger train down from Perth on the 12th October 1918 and
was complaining of feeling unwell on arrival at Waverley Station on
completion of his turn of duty. The carriages were parked an the
loco was run "light" back to Haymarket Shed

On dismounting from the
loco the Fireman noted that steam(!) was coming through
Grandfather's overcoat. He staggered over the tracks assisted
by the Fireman bur only made it as far as Lowery's cottage in
Balbirnie Place.

One of the Fireman's
children was despatched to warn my Grandmother at her home.
Someone else sent for a horse-drawn ambulance and he was taken to
the Royal Infirmary in Lauriston Place. He died there two days
later, aged 53, from the world-wide epidemic of Influenza called
"The Spanish Lady" which killed over 40 million people in a
devastating epidemic."

Waverley Station

1930

My Father was the eldest son and
was serving with the Royal Artillery in France at the time of my
grandfather's death.

He
was immediately returned home and spent the last few months of his
Wartime service at Redford Cavalry Barracks.

He was a Railwayman too,
all his life. When he worked at Waverly Station in the
30's he used to delight in showing me my "Grandfather's" engine
anytime it was operating